Rips of Reality
by DaniForeverJYJ
Summary: Rips in the air are appearing all over Gaia, sucking people in with an inescapable gravity, leading to unknown dangers and no one knows how or why. Vincent Valentine returns 5 years after the events of Dirge of Cerberus, planning on visiting an old friend when he witnesses something that changes everything...forever. I own NOTHING. Rated M for later chapters.
1. Discovery

Chapter 1

Something strange was happening on Gaia.

Five years after the events of the Deepground incident, Vincent Valentine returned to the quiet town of Calm, red cape quietly swirling around his ankles in the gentle spring breeze, the smell of Lillies filling his nose as he scanned the unusually empty streets, windows of the usually bustling shops dark and closed down. It was silent, nothing but the soft tinkling of the fountain in the center of the square could be heard. Slowly, he turns to head toward the house Cloud, Tifa, Marlene and Denzel have taken residence in when he hears an odd electrical tearing sound accompanied by a slightly panicked yell that could come from none other than the spikey haired hero himself.

"TIFA!!!!!"

Vincent takes off running at top speed, cape whipping erradically behind him as the clang of his metal boot reverberates off the strangely dark and silent homes. He rounds the corner at top speed, reaching the street his friends live on and stops abruptly, shock ripping through him as the scene before him unfolds.

In the middle of the road, Cloud is clinging desperately to Tifa's arm as her body is lifted from the ground, her legs being sucked into some sort of rip in the air. The wind around the tear is screaming, piercing Vincents ears, fiercly powerful and occasional bolts of electricity shoot out from the edge of the tear. Clouds feet were slowly slipping toward the impossible hole in the air, teeth bared as he used all of his strength to hold onto his wife's hand, eyes closing as sweat dripped into them, her hips now disappearing into the strange tear.

"C-Cloud! I'm... I'm slipping!!!"

The terror in her voice snaps Vincent into action, jolting him towards his friends. He runs as fas as his strength can propel him and he grabs onto Tifa's other hand, pulling with everything he had. His heart began to race faster and harder, fear seeping into him as he realized that nothing was happening. They gained no ground even when he joined. Looking over at Cloud, their eyes meet, panic and terror clear in the blondes glowing eyes as Tifa slipped further into the hole. She was almost up to her chest when a small voice screamed somewhere to Vincents right.

"Tifa, no!! Please! Please save her Vincent!!!"

Vincent looks over and sees young Marlene, standing in the doorway of their home, hair whipping violently around her, cheeks red and wet with tears, biting her lip and crying. To her left was Denzel, taller by a few inches than her now, holding her hand and looking just as terrified.

He looked back at Cloud just as Cloud looked back at him and he saw a new fear in him. He then looked at Tifa, her eyes red and terrified, a fear he'd never seen in her either before written on every inch of her face and something in him switched.

He closed his eyes, his breathing calmed and he whispered something in is mind that he hadn't done in five years.

"CHAOS."

Power ripped through him violently and he heard himself groan, his voice changing even as it slipped out of him. He felt his muscles shift, his neck, spine and limbs lengthen painfully, bones cracking and groaning as he felt the skin of his back rip as long, hard and sharp wings tore out of him. His teeth grew in his mouth, cutting his lips, the tang of blood making his heart race even more. He felt a chuckle ripple through him as Chaos began to take control.

"YOU CALLED?" He heard echo deeply through his mind.

"Help us."

"MM."

He felt his feet lift of the ground as his massive wings began to beat, powerfully pulling Cloud and Tifa back away from the tear. Slowly, they began to gain ground, her body being released by whatever power it was that was sucking her in, hips reemerging as Chaos growled and beat his wings harder. His eyes glowed with power, the air rippling around him seperatly from the power of the tear, challenging each other. He glared into the hole, hissing, eyes widening slightly with what he saw as Vincent gasped within him. Chaos gave one last great pull and Tifa's feet pulled free, sending them all flying into the yard behind them, crashing through the fence and the Lillies Tifa planted there, the sound thundering through the empty streeet.

Chaos gracefully landed on his feet and immediatly released Tifa's arm as he took a step towards the rip, studying it. It seemed that what ever power that kept it open was waning as it was slowly closing, the wind dying down around it and the electric heat and sizzle faded until the tear finally closed with a sort of inhalation sound, suddenly surrounding everyone in a heavy silence, save for their panting and quiet crying from the children.

Chaos turned towards the couple still in a heap on the ground. Cloud was holding Tifa gently to his chest, stroking her hair as she clung to him, quietly shaking.

"Shhh...," he whispered, shakily. "We got you. I've got you. Its alright." He then looked up at Chaos. "...Thank you."

Chaos nodded and closed his eyes to return control to Vincent when suddenly something warm and soft wrapped around his waste. Startled, he immediatly bared his teeth and looked down, claws extending. He froze as a small pretty face looked up at him.

"Thank you, Mr. Chaos. You really really helped. That was amazing." Marlene said, smiling weakly but kindly and wiping her cheeks, giggling shyly.

Awkwardly, Chaos retracted his claws and shut his mouth. Clearing his throat, he stepped away from the child, eyes narrowing towards her.

"I'm not afraid of you, you know. I see the kindness in you," Marlene said in response to the suspicious look on his face. "I trust Vincent with my life and he asked you for help, which you gave. So I'm not afraid, don't worry." With that she gave him another brilliant smile and turned to hug Tifa.

Slightly stunned, Chaos turned away from the family still huddled on the grass, and saw Denzel walking towards the heap, catching his eye as Denzel waved at him and grinned, conveying silently that he agreed with what Marlene just said. He gave Chaos a small head nod then he too turned his attention to the 3 others.

Feeling oddly touched and confused, Chaos quickly turned his back to them and closed his eyes once more, breathing slowly as he felt his teeth shorten, his power dampen slightly and his wings dematerialize. Lifting his head, Vincent shook his hair out of his face, brushed off the front of his shirt and readjusted his cape before turning back to Cloud as he stood up and extended his hand.

Vincent looked down at it and took it, shaking it.

"Thank you Vincent. Both of you. I couldn't have saved her if you wouldn't have shown up and called on Chaos. I know thats hard for you and you haven't done it in a very long time. So thank you."

Vincent nodded silently, accepting the gratitude then looked at the spot where the strange tear had been.

"What exactly was that?"

Cloud sighed and shook his head, running a hand through his dishevled hair. "I honestly don't know. No one does. They just appear randomly and suck people in and no one knows why, how or where to."

Vincent looks back at him quickly and confused. "This has happened more than once?"

Cloud turns back to him and nodded somberly. "Yes. You've been gone a long time Vince, they started popping up about a year after Deepground. We believe its somehow tied to the experiments and work Weiss/Hojo was working on. It must have affected something with the lifestream or..." He sighs, frustrated. "I don't know. This sciencey stuff is more up Reeves ally. Come inside and we'll call him after I've taken care of Tifa."

Vincent nods and they both turn back to the remaining three, Cloud picking up an obviously exhausted Tifa, Marlene and Denzel following close behind and Vincent closing the door once everyone is safely inside.

Cloud heads upstairs with a now sleeping Tifa in his arms, Denzel following close behind as Vincent takes a seat on their couch, looking around and absorbing the room.

It was nice. Warm and homey. It fit a family of four and it pleased Vincent to see what Tifa and Cloud had built and created for themselves and the children. There were framed photos of each of them, as a family or individuals all over the place. There were photos of the others too, which warmed Vincent in an unexpected way. He'd come to miss his friends, wondering where they were and how their lives were running. He hoped they were all well, especially with what apparently had been going on as he was gone.

He'd kept in touch occasionally but he was now realizing he should have been calling more often, asking more questions. He couldn't believe he didn't know about any of this until now and he felt a sense of failure on his part for not being here to help sooner.

He sighs, shaking his head, pushing those thoughts away as he knew they didn't help or fix anything when Marlene suddenly comes hopping into the room and plops on the love seat across from him, grinning that ever present sweet grin.

"Hiya Vince. How've you been??"

A small grin appears on his lips at the question. "I've been well, thank you. Traveling a lot. And yourself?"

She smiles wider, shrugging. "I'm good too. Just been going to school. Well I was until all this started happening..." She looks down at her hands, fidgeting on her lap, grin wavering. "One of um... one of my best friends got sucked into one of those things my last day of school. Like, 30 people or something got sucked into them that day and then they declaired a city wide emergency, so school and jobs and roads all officially shut down." She sniffles slightly before continuing. "No one knows what they are. They're freaky tho. You saw how strong they are. Its nearly impossible to save someone from them, it never really happens." She lifts her head, eyes bright with unshed tears but a smile still on her face. "Until you showed up and Chaos helped out."

Vincent shifted uncomfortably in his seat, clearing his throat and looking out the window. Marlene tilted her head, studying him. "It was really brave of you to call on him." Surprised Vincent looked back at her. "I mean, I know how hard that must have been for you. I remember everything that happened with Deepground, between you and Chaos. So I know that must have been difficult after all this time. So thank you for that. Really. Without that, Tifa might've..." She stopped then, looking back down at her hands, clearing her throat and coughing slightly, sniffling.

Vincent followed her gaze to her hands and noticed something that made his heart ache slightly. Her hands, that were once soft and pink and young now somehow looked older than her years, cracked and dirty and she obviously developed a habit of biting her nails. Which told him that she developed anxiety and trauma. It made him a little sad and a little angry for some reason as well.

Shifting slightly he glanced around the room, thinking of a way to try to distract this sweet child that he cared for so much.

"You... you seem to have finally grown taller." He saw her head lift a little at that. "I mean, you're still tiny and shorter than Denzel, but still. There's a slight difference."

"Hey! I'll have you know I've grown 4 inches!" She pouts, crossing her arms.

Grinning slightly, he turns back to her. "Only 4? Hmmm..."

"What 'Hmmmm'? What does 'Hmmmmmmmmm' mean??"

"Oh... nothing. Nothing." He shrugs, pleased he distracted her.

"Oh pff you're awful." She giggles throwing a pillow at him, missing entirely. "I did miss you tho, Vince." She smiles for real this time, tilting her head.

He grins back, nodding. "I missed you too, Marlene."

They turn as footsteps are heard on the stairs, signaling Cloud and Denzels return. Cloud nods at Vincent as they enter the room, pouring himself a finger of whiskey before sitting on the couch next to Vincent. Denzel sits next to Marlene, patting her shoulder before looking at Vincent.

"So..." Denzel says after studying him for a moment. Vincent raises an eyebrow. "You're exactly the same." He grins playfully as Vincent snorts quietly.

"Yes, I am. You however, have grown quite a bit. What, are you 30 now?"

Marlene snorts at that, giggling while Denzel sits up straighter, laughing as well. "No, I'm 13. Marlenes only 12."

"Only? You say that as if you're so much older, you dork," Marlene retorts, punching his arm.

Vincent shakes his head, watching the two, remembering how Marlene was only 4 when he first met her and marveling at how fast children grow. Sighing, he feels that familiar sadness creep up inside him at the thought of his own immortality, and how hard watching his friends age will be. Shaking his head more, he once again pushes those thoughts aside and turns to Cloud whos staring at the table lost in his thoughts.

"How's TIfa?"

Cloud starts, looking up at him and shakes his head slightly, clearing his thoughts. "She's um... she's alright. Resting. That took a lot out of her. I don't know what was pulling her in but it really drained her. She's actually um..." Stopping he looks at the kids, getting their attention. "Hey guys, can I talk to Vincent alone for a moment? Without eavesdropping?" He looks pointedly at Denzel as Denzel feigns a look of innocence.

"Of course." Marlene says, yanking on Denzels arm. "We'll go start cleaning up the front yard." Denzels "What???" fades with him leaving the room, making Cloud chuckle slightly.

Vincent then looks back at Cloud, waiting for him to finish.

"Anyways, yeah. She's exhausted. Normally it wouldn't have taken so much out of her, shes tough as you know, one of the toughest on the planet but with her condition, its harder to bounce back..." Cloud then looks away as he puts his glass down, shifting in his seat, not looking at Vincent now.

Worry and fear bloom in Vincents chest, making it almost hard to breathe. Was she sick??? How bad was it??

"Condition?" He asks gently, hesitantly.

Confusion fills him as a smile, a genuine smile creeps onto Clouds face before he looks back up at Vincent, both genuine happiness and fear on his face and in his eyes.

"Tifa's pregnant."

Shock tears through Vincent as he just sits there, frozen as the words Cloud just said seep through him.

"Tifa's... pregnant?" He asks slowly, the words odd in his mouth.

Cloud nods, excitement and fear and joy and true terror radiating off of him. "Its why I was so terrified, so panicky when she started getting sucked in. Normally I'm much more calm and collected in those situations you know? Everything becomes clear and I can handle it just fine," He stands up then, feeling the need to move with all this nervous energy coursing through him. "And I mean, shes not that far a long, so we haven't really told anyone yet, but yeah, she's pregnant. And I'm terrified and shes terrified and we're both excited and happy and will I be a good father? I mean, she'll be wonderful. She's already just perfect with kids. You know. You've seen it. But me? Am I father material? I'm kind of crazy, a bit of a screw up, I don't know if I can do it and well I-" He stops abruptly when Vincent stands up quickly, grabbing his shoulders.

After the initial shock ran through Vincents body, a new feeling he hadn't felt in a long long time started to well up in him. Happiness. Elation for his best friend, who had been through so much struggle and sadness and pain, to finally get such a wonderful and beautiful thing. Vincent had no doubts he'd be wonderful at it and he wasted no time telling him that.

"Cloud. You are one of the most incredible human beings I have ever had the honor of knowing. Fighting side by side with you has been one of the most fullfilling and life changing events of my life. But beyond that, being your friend has been those things ten-fold. I have no doubts, no hesitations when I say, with absolute certainty, that you are going to be the most amazing father anyone could ever hope to have." Vincent grins then, a real grin and smacks Cloud on the shoulder. "Congratulations, Cloud. I'm very happy for you."

Cloud stares at Vincent for a moment, the speech reverberating through him, touched beyond anything. Words like that coming from a man like Vincent meant the world to him and he needed to take a moment to compose himself. After he took a moment to breathe, he looked at Vincent with tears in his eyes and only managed to get out a shakey, "Thank you."

Vincent nodded, seeing the struggle of emotion going on in his friend, patted him again on the shoulder then turned to look at the pictures of Marlene and Denzel on the walls again. Just then, Marlene came running in the room, startling both of them.

"Guys! Reeve and guest is here!!" With that, she turned and bounded out of the room.

"Guest?" Vincent asks, confused at the strange wording.

Cloud shrugs and heads outside, Vincent following.

"VINNIE!!!!!!!!!"

Vincent freezes at the loud, all too familiar shriek and simply braces himself for impact. Within a few seconds it comes, in a whirlwhind of hair, leather, buckles and high pitched laughter. Hugging her back tightly before leaning back, he grins slightly down at the tiny ninja.

"Yuffie."

"Where the heck you been?!" She yells, smacking his arm. Barely reacting to the hit, he shakes his head, not even bothering to answer as she continues, "And don't give me that 'oh I had things to take care of, I'm so dark and emo and lonely' crap. I missed you dang it! What the hell?!" With that, she hugs him again, tightly, making him realize that she's grown too. She grew a few inches in height as well, at least 5 and when she stepped back to smile at him again, he noticed other differences as well.

Her hair was longer, reaching her color bone. It suited her, framed her face nicely which had also changed slightly. Gone was the baby fat she had retained as the teenager he had met. Her face had matured into a more womanly shape, and the same went with her figure. She'd grown and filled out, no longer boney and lanky like that last time he saw her. She'd obviously been working hard as the new Leader of Wutai and he couldn't believe that she was already 25.

Ignoring her previous questions, he changed subjects with his own, "How's being leader treating you?"

Easily distracted, she hops up on her toes, grinning wildly, "Oh its been fantastic! I love being able to decide how things run. Who goes where, who does what. Its friggin great. The only hitch was when they tried to marry me off." Rolling her eyes, she shakes her head and shudders dramatically. Vincent raised an eyebrow, fully able to guess how well that went. "Yeah, totally wasn't gonna happen." She laughs, continuing. "But other than that its awesome. Red Xlll comes and helps every now and then, all wisdom and patience, so thats nice. But now with all these Tear thingys popping up, things are getting a little more complicated..." She sighs, suddenly strutting right past him and into the house. Shaking his head, Vincent looks back towards the car, seeing Reeve climb out, shaking Clouds hand then raising it to wave at Vincent. Vincent nods, then turns to go back into the house, knowing they'll be following shortly.

Going back to sit on the couch where he was before, he leans back, closing his eyes for a moment. Not sleeping for the past week or so was really starting to catch up on him, especially with all of this happening now. He was just starting to relax when a sudden heavy shift in the couch next to him caused him to nearly fall over onto the next cushion.

Looking over grumpily, he saw a sheepish Yuffie holding up her free hand in apology, the other holding a container of yogurt and a spoon.

"Sorry!!" She whispers, "I was trying to be quiet but... I tripped..." Lifting her leg, she reveals the wire of the lamp next to the couch wrapped around her foot. "Sorry..." she whispers again as she settles into the cushion farthest from him.

Grunting he leans back again, closing his eyes again for 2 seconds before Cloud and Reeve walk in, making him sigh and sit up straight, shaking off the sleep that nearly took him. Reeve and Cloud sit across from the couch on the love seat Marlene had previously occupied. Nodding at Reeve and Cloud, Vincent waits for one of them to start talking.

Reeve was the first to begin, "These holes that have been popping up. We have new information on them," He looks at Vincent. "Cloud has informed me that your first experience with these Holes was today?" Vincent nods. "Ah, yes, that must have been something... anyways..." He pauses to pull some paper work out of his briefcase. They seemed to be some blueprints and diagrams of different versons of these tears, along with discriptions of ones witnessed and effects they've had, how long they've lasted, etc etc.

He points at one in particular. "This one here is a new diagram. We've been able to study a tear that was outside our facility for much longer than the average length they appear. My theory is the power plant we have near by fed it. Regardless, it was there long enough for us to gather enough strong material to send a camera in and pull it back out." Raising an eyebrow Vincent leaned in closer, as did Yuffie and Cloud, all very interested. "The camera was severely damagad when we got it back but the footage was mostly intact." Reeve continued. "And what we saw on it was shocking."

Clearing his throat he, pulled out a small disc and handed it to Cloud, who then stood upand put it in a slot on his television set. Every one turned to see what played on the screen and when it did, they all gasped.

What it showed, beyond the grainy and obviously damaged footage, was Midgar. But a vastly different one. An aged one. It looked like years had passed for this Midgar, there were more buildings and streets and levels to it. It was also a lot more plant life oriented, with trees and bushes and flowers all over it. Still industrial but looking like it was working towards living symbiotically with nature instead of fighting it. It was actually kind of beautiful. But shocking because-

"But that Midgar doesn't exist!" Yuffie's shocked voice cried out.

Cloud stopped the disc and sat down, in shock, looking at Reeve, who was looking at Yuffie.

"...Yet." He said quietly.

"Yet?" Cloud repeated.

Sighing, Reeve sat forward, with his elbows on his knees, fingers interlaced infront of his face, thinking. "My theory... and a lot of my colleagues theories are that..." He pauses, looking around the room. "The Tears are Tears in Time. We believe that those tears... lead to the future."

Silence fills the room. Vincent stares down at his feet, remember what he saw in the tear Chaos had looked into.

"Reeve. When I got here, Tifa was being sucked into one of them. I had to call on Chaos to help get her back out, but before we did, He looked into the tear and I saw it too. But what I saw was vastly different from what was on that tape. I saw Midgar destroyed."

Yuffie gasped as Cloud stood up to go look out his window at Denzel and Marlene play in more than clean the front yard. "Destroyed?"

"Yes. Gone. Decrepit."

Reeve just nodded. "Yes, thats another future you saw."

"Another???" Yuffie squeaked.

"Yes," Reeve said again. "Each Tear we've observed have shown different futures of Midgar every time. Not one of them has been the same future. And never have they been of the past. They were all at verying points in the time line, looking ahead. One I observed could've have been a mere week from now, with hardly any difference. The one on the tape was, at my best guess, a couple decades or so. And what Chaos and Vincent must have seen was maybe a couple hundred. There's no telling what each one of them will hold."

Everyone fell silent for a moment again, absorbing this shocking information. This was insane and impossible and yet here it was, happening right in front of them.

"And... and no one has figured out how or why?" Cloud chimed in. Reeve shook his head, sadly.

A thought suddenly occured to Vincent. "You say that it could be tomorrow in the tear or hundreds of years?" Reeve nods again, curious as to where he was going with this. "One of Marlenes friends got sucked into them. And she said at least 30 were sucked in on that day alone." Reeve stiffens slightly as he understands where Vincent is going. "How many people have actually been sucked in to unknown times?"

Reeve hesitates, looking at all three of them slowly, then sighs, looking down. "As of this afternoon... thousands... and climbing every second." He looks up again, sadly out the window, "They started opening up only here in Midgar, a year after Deepground. But now, in the past 3 years, they've been popping up everywhere. Thats why Yuffie is here. Wutai and Midgar seem to have the worst concentration of the Tears but they're even appearing in the smaller towns..."

Vincent stiffens, the thought and image of all those terrified people and children getting ripped from their homes, their safety and comfort, to be thrown into an unknown time with untold dangers and suffering... it made his heart ache and he had to stand up, walking quickly outside, suddenly feeling like he was could breathe properly.

Breathing heavily, standing on the porch, he lifted his head towards the sky, the silence crushing in on him, wind cooling the sweat on his brow.

"Vincent?" A soft voice called, breaking the silence.

Opening his eyes, he looked forward, Marlene standing in front of him, a concerned look on her face. "Is... everything alright??"

He sighs, then nods, walking down the steps to stand in front of her, noticing Denzel was off kicking a rock around down the street. "Everythings fine, Marlene. The news about the tears and what they are, what they do, is upsetting and its taking a moment to process."

She nods, not knowing exactly what he meant but wanting to help nonetheless. "I'm sure everything will be alright in the end. This world has been through a lot, and we've all always found a way. We'll figure this one out too." She smiles, comfortingly and grabs the hand without the metal casing. He looks down at the hands and squeezes gently, nodding at her in thanks, her innocent support comforting.

He'd really grown to care for this girl. As if she was family. The same went for the others as well; Cid, Yuffie, Red Xlll, Barrett, Tifa, Cloud, Cait Sith, even Denzel now... they'd all shown him what it was like to live outside of the darkness that encased his heart for so many years after Lucrecia. He owed them everything. He would do anything for them.

The young girl in front of him nods, leaning down to look up at him and catch his eye, sticking out her tongue when she does and stands back up, pleased with the small grin it pulled out of him. Satisfied, she turned around and ran off to join Denzel in the odd little game he was creating. Amused, Vincent watched them for a while, letting the peace of the moment wash over him, clearing his mind and just letting himself watch and breathe. He didn't know how long he was there watching them when suddenly the air shifted.

Denzel and Marlene both noticed as well, stopping their little game and looking around, confused and a little afraid, looking at Vincent as he stood up, on edge. He made his way toward them, looking around cautiously, feeling the air sizzle along his skin. Suddenly a loud tearing sound exploded in the air around them, making Marlene scream. Terror and panic ripped through Vincent as he saw an unnatural light appear just behind Denzel and Marlene, making him immediatly start sprinting toward them.

"RUN!!!" He screamed, bolting as fast as he could, silently calling on Chaos's speed at the same time, feeling him respond just as urgently. Denzel grabbed Marlene's hand and started yanking her toward Vincent just as the Tear opened fully, air screaming and ripping violently around. Denzel and Marlene's running slowed significantly, Marlenes panicked scream barely audible over the sound of the tear. Denzel yanked harder, gaining barely another inch, reaching his hand out to Vincent as Cloud came running top speed out of the house behind him. Vincent reached them first, grabbing Denzels hand and yanking as hard as he could, feeling both kids feet slip as they lifted into the air, Marlenes feet brushing the out side rim of the tear.

She screamed again as Cloud reached them, Grabbing Denzels hand that was holding onto Marlene. "HOLD ON! WE'VE GOT YOU!!" He screamed, hoping desperately that was true. Looking back at Vincent, he saw attributes of Chaos seeping through his features, and they began gaining ground.

Vincent/Chaos grunted harshly, yanking as hard as they could and felt Denzel shoot towards him as Denzels grip on Marlene lost hold. Cloud and Marlene cried out in unison as they both slipped very quickly towards the rip, Marlenes body now halfway inside, and quickly sinking in further. Vincent got Denzel as far away as he could so the gravity of the Tear was no longer effecting them and bolted back, panting slightly and gripped Marlene around her waste. Tears were streaming down her face, and her eyes were closed tight, concentration fierce on her face.

"Vi-Vincent..." She whimpered as he wrapped his arms tightly around her. He locked eyes with Cloud and nodded, both men pulling as hard as they could, yelling loudly as they did. Marlenes tiny yell joined them as they began pulling away from the tear, Cloud pulling and Vincent more pushing at this point. He saw her feet pulling out slowly, his own slowly taking their place and with one final yell as Chaos fully came forward, he tossed both Cloud and Marlene together away from the Tear, making sure they got far enough away before collapsing, exhausted, Chaos receding within him once again.

The last thing he saw before the Tear fully engulfed him was Cloud shouting his name and reaching for him, Tifa slowly entering the doorway, hands covering her mouth and stomach and Marlene sobbing, Denzel holding her back as she tried to run for him. Satisfied they were all safe, Vincent closed his eyes as the Tear closed just before Cloud reached it, still yelling Vincents name.


	2. Return

Chapter 2

Pain radiated through Vincents body as his brain started to wake up. Growning, he attempted to sit up, only to immediatly lose strength and drop down, gasping slightly at the ache in his spine as he hit the ground.

"TAKE YOUR TIME," Chaos's voice vibrated through him. "YOU'RE NOT A NORMAL HUMAN BUT STILL HUMAN NONETHELESS. THE TRIP TOOK A LOT OUT OF BOTH OF US."

Dimly, Vincent did sense a slight weakness to the usual overbearing barotone of Chaos's voice. Groaning again, he tried to only open his eyes, squinting as rare light sensitivity assualted him. He didn't know how long he laid there, just staring at the sky, until the feeling started returning to his extremeties. Wiggling his fingers, he decided he was too impatient for this, and started sitting up again, pain shooting through his battered body again. Ignoring both the pain and the internal feeling of Chaos rolling his eyes, until he was sitting up straight, panting slightly and annoyed at this weakness.

Growling, he started looking around, unsure what to make of where and when he was. "What future is this? Is it far?" Sighing at the silence he should have expected within him, Vincent ran a hand through his hair, deeming his strength to have returned enough to stand up fully. Going slower than he would have liked. Whatever electricity and gravity those Tears are powered by must really drain the natural electrical energy reserves a human body has.

Sighing for the millionth time, Vincent pulled himself into a full standing possition, swaying slightly and taking a moment to compose himself. Once he was calmer, he started looking around, observing his surroundings.

The Tears must not spit you out from where it originally sucked you in. He was no longer in the streets of Calm. He was in the middle of some field, and after a short circle, he started to slightly recognize his location. Theere were some changes but nothing of the devestation that Chaos and he had witness in the first Tear. A lot of plant life, differnent monsters roaming around but the mountains were the same and judging form one particular formation in front of him, the indent in the mountain and the lake in front of it, one they once had to cross to get to a cave on the other side whilst avoiding a giant serpant named The Midgar Zolom immediatly settled him in where he was.

Taking a deap breathe, he squares his shoulders and starts heading in the direction of the Chocobo Ranch he hoped was still there. Looking up, he noted some new flying monsters he hadn't seen before. The sky was the same shade of blue and the Sun just as comfortabley warm and bright. So... not an insane amout of time has past... he thinks quietly to himself, dropping his gaze and noticing a roof top appearing in the distance.

As he walked closer, noticed an enclosed grassy area full of different colored Chocobos, just as he hoped he would. Their distant "Wark!"s began filling the air the closer he got and their tones changed as he approached from playful to cautious. He rounded the pasture, and looked towards the housing.

It had aged, the paint on the outside walls peeling slightly and shingles on the roof were missing. To the right, the barn house was a faded rouge now more than a bright fire hydrant red. There were more trees surrounding the place, small and young and obviously planted recently enough for the soil underneath to still be bare and uncovered by grass. Rose bushes and shrubbery were also newly planted around the house, making the little farm look a little more earthy and homey for animals such as Chocobos. A fountain for drinking and a little pool for playing had also been added to the pasture the Chocobos spent their time in. It felt more like a haven, then a normal ranch.

Knocking on the slightly aged door, Vincent took a breath and waited, wondering who would open the door. He hears footsteps coming up to the door and he can't tell just by listening if they're from a child or an adults foot. Slowly the door opens, a head of a young man popping from behind it.

He looks Vincent up and down quickly before speaking, "Yes?"

"Hello. My name is Vincent and I was wondering who is running this ranch?" Vincent replies.

The young man fully opens the door, leaning against the door jam and grinning a still cautious but friendly grin. "That would be me sir. Before it was my grandfather but he passed it to me a few years back." He sticks out his hand. "Names Billy. But most folks call me Choco Billy."

Hope and surprise both bloomed in Vincents chest as he shook the young mans hand. This was Choco Billy, the young kid that taught everyone how to capture and train Chocobos back before Meteor Fall. Judging by his height and age the tear couldn't have tossed him more than...

"May I ask how old you are Choco Billy?"

"27"

27? So its only been..."20 years..." Vincent whispers to himself.

"Scuse me?" Billy asks, confused.

"Oh nothing. Just thinking out loud. If you'll excuse me." With that, Vincent turns and starts heading off the ranch before a thought occurs to him, looking at the Chocobo playing in their little pool.

"How much is it to rent a Chocobo?"

"600 gil," Choco Billy answers. A reasonable price. Vincent nods and pulls the gil out of his coinpurse.

Choco Billy and Vincent then walk out to the Chocobos playing outside and seeing no Gold Chocobos Vincent chooses the Black one, choosing for the quickest way to get to Midgar and Kalm. Walking would take far too long and going over the mountains would be far quicker.

Mounting the newly saddled Chocobo, Vincent pets the creatures soft head, feeds it some Gysahl Greens and murmurs a Thank you to Choco Billy before taking off, the speed of the powerful Chocobo making his hair and cape whip back violently.

Within 2 hours, Vincent could see the small building of Kalm in the distant. Only the little town wasn't so little anymore. They're were more houses and streets, making the size of the town much much larger. A lot was done in 20 years and Vincent felt anxiety rise in him and he wondered if Cloud and his little family even lived there anymore.

Stopping the Chocobo right out side the Larger Town, and patted its next, fed it more greens then said thank you before sending it on its way back to the farm.

Turning and scanning the town, he definitley noticed a lot more people than the last time was here and a lot more buildings and shops as well. They're were Materia shops, Weapons shops, Item shops, even food shops around every corner. He almost got lost marveling at all the differences. He stopped to reorient himself just as a small, brunette girl with some of the brightest blue eyes Vincent had seen aside from Clouds ran full blast into his gut, falling to the ground from the impact.

"Owwwwww!" The child cried out. She couldn't have been more than 5 and Vincent froze slightly when the child then began to wail, loudly and obnoxiously. Reaching awkwardly towards the child, he stopped when an older, slightly sterner voice called out.

"Aeri, what are you doing? I told you to stay by me!"

A young man, blonde this time and with the same shade of shocking blue came running over to the wailing girl. He kneeled down and grabbed her arm gently to examine it. Vincent felt some guilt seep into him when he saw the scrape on her elbow, a little bit of blood seeping out of it.

"I'm... I'm sorry. I didn't see her..." He stuttered out softly, unsure of what to do.

The young man looked up at him, squinting slightly in the sunlight and took in Vincents appearance. He then pulled the little girl into his arms and stood, studying his face. Whatever he saw there, he must've accepted cuz he then grinned, dimples showing slightly in his cheeks.

"No big. She'll be okay. Aeri is just a big boob, she'll be fine. She runs into everybody, never watching where shes going." He leaned back to look at the sniffling girl. She was starting to calm as he rubbed his nose against hers, making her giggle. "See?" He says to her, voice soft and playful. "Not so bad huh?" She shook her head, brown pigtails bobbing to and fro.

The young man shifted her to his hip and stuck out his hand. "I'm Zack. New here?"

Vincent took his hand and shook it, shaking his head. "Not... exactly... My name is Vincent." He dropped his hand and looked around. "Valentine and I'm looking for someone actually..."

The young man, Zack, hadn't moved or said anything long enough for Vincent to look back at him, concerned he said something wrong. The look of shock on his face made alarm fill Vincents heart, causing him to look behind him expecting an enemy or something.

"What is it?"

"You said... What was your name again?"

Vincent then turned back to him, his stance returning slowly to that of a non threatening one. "Vincent Valentine," he repeated slowly. "May I ask why?"

The man stood there, shaking his head slightly, muttering the words, "No way..." under his breath a few times before suddenly stepping quickly towards Vincent, causing him to step back slightly. "Dude. You have to come with me."

He suddenly turned, the little girl giggling at the speed of his movements and started walking off quickly, not even looking back to see if Vincent followed.

Curiousity took hold of Vincent, making him follow after a beat of confusion. Zack led him through the streets, taking more turns than Vincent remembering there being and then stopped in front of a house he instantly recognized.

The fence had been replace and the lillies were as beautiful as ever.

He stood there a moment, taking it all in, surprised and confused as to why he had been brought here when he looked at Zack a little more seriously, and begun noticing similarities in him that he'd seen in another blonde young man he knew. He began opening his mouth to ask him Zack a question when the front door opened, making him look back at the house.

"Zack Strife, where have you been, its been over an-" Stopping short and freezing on the stairs to the doorstep, Tifa gasped, a hand covering her mouth.

Vincent took how she looked in, heart racing slightly. She'd aged, but it wasn't completely obvious to anyone with abnormally keen senses. Her hair only came to her shoulders and had recently been curled. It had light tinges of grey to the roots and her eyes had very light crows feet at their corners. Smile lines were just barely beginning to make themselves known and she had gained weight. Not in an obvious way, but it was there. Tifa had aged but she still looked as amazingly beautiful as she always had.

"Hello Tifa," Was all Vincent could manage before she came barreling down the steps and jumped him, squeezing him in a hug so tight it made it very hard to breath, but Vincent returned it nonetheless.

"Oh my god..." Her muffled voice came from his chest. It sounded like she was crying. "Oh my god I can't believe its you..." She pulled back, revealing the suspected tears streaming down her face. "We never thought we'd see you again. This is... oh my god." She hugged him again before stepping back and beckoning to the young man, still holding the little one, watching the whole scene.

He stepped forward, handing the little girl to Tifa and grinned at Vincent, folding his arms.

"Vincent," Tifa begun. "This is my son. Zack. And this little one," She kissed the little girls cheek. "Is my daughter. She just turned 5 today." She smiled at him and shook her head. "I can't believe you're really here..." She then turned and grabbed his arm. "Come inside. Cloud should be home soon. He's going to be so shocked." She giggled as she started pulling him into the house.

Once they were inside, Vincent immediatly started looking around. It was the same and he had last seen it, what seemed to him like a couple hours ago, except with a lot of kids toys and pictures of this little family replacing some of the pictures of his friends. He leaned in to look at one with Cloud in it and noticed he'd aged as well, still as gracefully as Tifa. His hair was a little duller blonde than before and he had the same smile lines as she. He was still muscular, but slightly weightier as well. He was smiling in this picture, holding Aeri high in the air, the sun setting in the distance. Vincent could practically hear the little girls laughter.

He walked into the living room, the furniture was all different versions of the same products and in different places. He sat slowly on the couch, groaning softly as the aches of what he'd been through started settling in.

Tifa came into the living room, Zack (Cloud and Tifa's SON, Vincent couldn't help but think) following close behind. She smiled as she sat next to him, crossing her legs on the couch so she could face him. Zack sat in a bean bag chair to Vincents left.

"My parents have told me about you. Thats why I had suspicions when we first me, then when you said you're name, I just knew. This is crazy! There was a point in my life I started to believe you were just a bed time story they would tell me. The big hero Vincent Valentine, powerful, mysterious and immortal. It sounded so fanciful and now..." He shook his head, looking him up and down again, causing Vincent to shift in the screwtiny. "You're here," He looked at Tifa. "Wait till dad gets here."

Tifa laughed and nodded. It was odd hearing Cloud being called dad. He knew Tifa was pregnant before the tear sucked him in, but seeing him here, grown, after a few hours of finding out he just came into exsistence was very unsettling.

"How are you?" Tifa's voice broke into his thoughts. She was always good at reading people.

"Disoriented. Confused. Overwhelmed," He answered honestly. "Before the tear sucked me in, I had just learned of your pregnancy and now..." He looked at Zack, the boy who looked so much like Cloud it was unsettling.

"Yeah...I'm sure thats weird for you... do you know exactly how long you've been gone?" She asked softly.

"I was thrown out of the tear outside of the Midgar Zolom lake and made my way to the Chocobo Ranch, where I met Choco Billy again. I judged from his age, now judging from your sons age, I'd say its been about 20 years."

Tifa nodded. "20 exactly. Today."

Today? He was pulled from his time, spat out 20 years later on the same exact day?

"Huh." Was all he could say.

Just then he heard the front door open and he immediatly stood. They all did, and Tifa ran to the hall.

"Hey Tifa," Came Clouds voice. It sounded almost deeper to Vincent but... softer. It didn't carry all the sadness and weight it used to. That pleased Vincent greatly.

"Wait," he heard Tifa stop Cloud before he came into the living room. Zack practically bounced in his excitement next to him.

"Dad never stopped looking for you. No one really did, except mom cuz she had to stay home with me and my sister, but even she kept her eyes and ears open for any news. Aunt Yuffie commanded armies to look for you," Zack whispered to him. "This is CRAZY." He repeated before taking a step back.

Vincent was slightly shocked to hear this. And touched, finding out his friends never gave up on him. That they cared that much. He never would have stopped either if this had happened to one of them.

"Okay. Now, you're going to want to take a breath here," He heard Tifa say, "You're about to get a bit of a shock okay?"

"...Are you pregnant again?" He heard Cloud hesitantly ask. It made him want to chuckle at the slight fear in his voice.

Tifa did laugh. "No you dolt. I'm not pregnant. But it is big. So be ready okay?"

"...Okay." Came his suspicious reply.

Vincent stood up a little taller, apprehension filling his body now. Tifa came in the room first then stepped to the side, unblocking Clouds view of the living room.

Cloud froze, the same look of shock and disbelief on his face as Tifa when she first saw him. Tifa's smile was wide and Zack was practically vibrating.

Cloud stood there a moment more before slowly walking up to Vincent, lifting a finger and violently jabbing him in the chest. Vincent raised an eyebrow in response, which caused Clouds disbelief turn to something akin to excitement.

"Vincent?"

"Hello Cloud," He replies, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.

"Well," Cloud said, punching him in the arm. "Its about damn time you showed up."

Tifa rolled her eyes and shook her head, heading over to the phone. "I need to tell everyone. They're all going to be so happy, Vincent. We've all really missed you."

"Wait," Cloud stopped her from dialing by laying a hand over hers. "Its late and I'm sure Vincent is exhausted. He's been through quite the ordeal. We can tell them later." Vincent felt a sense of gratitude and relief shoot through him. He didn't think he could handle Yuffie's screams or Cid's cussing at the moment. Then another thought occured to him.

"Marlene. And Denzel. How are they?"

Tifa put the phone down, looking at Cloud. Cloud turned to Vincent, a light smile on his lips. "Well... Marlene is living in Midgar right now. She has her own apartment and she's a professional actor and dancer. She performs every Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. She's amazing and everyone is a fan of her," As he spoke he pulled out a picture from his wallet and handed it to Vincent. It was of Marlene, absolutely stunning at the age of 27. He hair had grown long, like Tifa's was before Meteor Fall, and she... well she was filled out similarly to Tifa as well. Her skin was porcelain and her eyes were golden honey brown. She had grown into a gorgeous young woman and Vincent was slightly taken aback.

"She's beautiful isn't she?" Tifa asked, looking at the photo with him.

He nods, agreeing whole heartedly, "Always knew she would be." He says, handing the photo back.

"And Denzel," Cloud continues. "Denzel... is married." He smiles again, handing him another photo.

"Married?" Vincent asks, in complete shock. Looking down at the photo, he sees a very handsome, grown Denzel smiling back at him, his arms wrapped around the stomach of a beautiful young woman Vincent kind of recognized somehow.

"Yeah, you know that girl he befriended when he had Geostigma? The one that carried around that moogle doll?" Vincent nodded. "Thats her. Her name is Ally and they've been inseperable since they got cured."

"And now they're married..." Vincent says softly. He hands the picture back to Cloud, feeling an odd sense of sadness in his chest. He missed everything. Every one growing up. He was already afraid of them aging, but now, with this 20 year leap, his time with them all was cut even shorter. Shaking his head, he walked to the sliding door than led to their backyard, crossing his arms and looking outside.

Cloud and Tifa shared a knowing look, and Tifa gestured for Zack to follow her as she left the room. Once they were gone, Cloud walked over to stand by his friend.

"Whats on your mind?"

It takes a moment for Vincent to answer, "20 years." is all he can say.

Cloud nods. "I know...That would be hard for me to swallow too. It is a long time. A lot to miss. But you're here now and it wasn't 100 or 1,000. We're all still here, alive. And very glad you're back. We all kept looking."

Vincent nods. "Zack..." He then looks at Cloud, "Your son..." Cloud grins and looks at his feet at that and Vincent looks back outside. "Told me that. And that Yuffie has an army."

Cloud chuckles at that. "Its not as bad as it sounds. She's actualy a really amazing leader. Wise and thoughtful and kind. Her people love her." Thats good to hear, Vincent knew she would do well but she was still a little erratic and he had his concerns.

Cloud yawns then, patting Vincents shoulder. "Its late man and you've been through a lot. Its been a long day. We'll talk more in the morning then we'll discuss calling the others. Maybe on a one at a time type of thing." Vincent chuckles softly, nodding. "Come on. I'll show you to the guest room."

Cloud guides him upstairs, picking up kids toys along the way. Turning to the left, they walk past the two kids rooms, Aeri's was the first on the right just infront of the stairs and her door was open. She was alseep on the floor having obviously decided the bed wasn't good enough and made a nest for her self in the middle of the room. Cloud chuckles, shaking his head and leaves her as she is. The next room is Zacks, on the left wall of the hallway and the light is still on, the young man on the computer, listening softly to some sort of music with a lot of guitar.

"Dude," Cloud says. "Lights out. Its 2 am."

"Right right, sorry dad, I'm just looking at apartments close to Midgar Collage. I'll be done soon, just writing down some numbers."

"Alright, just hurry it up."

Zack nods, waving them away before suddenly turning around and whisper shouts, "It was awesome meeting you Vincent!" Vincent waves back, nodding and continues following Cloud down the hall. They pass the Master Bedroom next, which is past a small linen closet between the Master room and Aeri's room and Vincent sees Tifa preparing the bed for sleep, dressed in comfy, white pajamas, hair up in a messy pony tail. She smiles and stops mid fold down and walks over, hugging Vincent again. He returns the hug, somewhat awkwardly then gets a surprise kiss on the cheek from her, his unclawed hand flying up to where the kiss landed. She smiles more at his reaction then says, "It really really really is nice having you back Vincent. I can't tell you how much you've been missed. Sleep well okay?" He nods, touched at her words and turns to once again follow Cloud, whos standing in the doorway to the final room, at the very end of the hall.

The room was nicely decorated, plants and calming paintings of the sky and forests and Chocobos hanging here and there. There was a queen sized bed with a sky blue comforter on it, white sheets underneath and it looked ridiculously inviting to Vincent at that moment. Eyeing it hungrily, he began unbuttoning the neck piece of his cape and draped it over the rocking chair in the corner of the room.

Cloud stood over by another door in the room and opened it, flipping on the light, revealing a small half bath. "You've got your own toilet, mirror and sink. If you want to shower, its just down the hall, first door on your right. Theres a closet over on the other side of this dresser here aaaannnd... thats about it. You can stay as long as you like," He says, looking back at Vincent. "Seriously. You've been gone a long time, this is your house now too, as long as you want it. Raid the fridge, come and go anytime, its your home okay?"

Surprised once again, Vincent nods. Cloud nods in return and makes to leave the room. Just before he does, he turns again to Vincent. "And hey Vince?"

Vincent turns to him, mid removal of his metal boot.

"Welcome back." With that, Cloud gently closes the door.

Vincent sighs, feeling a little happiness well in his heart, sitting on the astoundingly comfortable bed and instantly groaning at the thought of laying down. He stands again, removing his dark black shirt, avoiding looking in the stand up mirror in the corner by the dresser, and removes his black pants and red headband as well, hair instantly going everywhere. Crawling into bed in only his black boxers, the instant his head hits the pillow, darkness takes him and he sleeps more soundly than he has in years. He didn't even get under the covers.


End file.
